Intermittent fasting does it work?

Options
msnikkibaby1785
msnikkibaby1785 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone tried intermittent fasting and does it work
«1

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    Options
    If it helps you maintain a calorie deficit it works. It wouldn't work for me because no way am I making it through a 500 calorie day but many people have been very successful with it.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    edited February 2017
    Options
    Which style of IF are you considering?

    As the previous poster pointed out, staying in a calorie deficit works. There is no magic to IF, although I know the limiting the hours a day that you eat it is being explored for other medical effects.

    EDIT: Sorry, got distracted. I meant to add that the act of IF is useful for many people in constricting calories by constricting times. Others lose control.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Options
    It works for some people, but not for others. The only way to know if it'll work for you is to try it.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    Options
    "work" in what way?

    I do it because I feel it suits my work schedule, and I also prefer eating at night so waiting til later keeps me feeling satisfied.

    Calorie deficit is what matters for weight loss - doing IF doesn't guarantee you'll be in a deficit.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Options
    Work for what? That's the key question. I'm going to assume you mean weight loss because that seems to be what the majority are here for. It's definitively not a magical solution to weight loss but it can help some people. The key to weight loss is a calorie deficit, that's pretty clear - the more complicated part is finding a way to create a calorie deficit that you can stick to long term and that doesn't make you miserable. For some people IF can be a sustainable long term way of maintaining a calorie deficit. Other people may find it miserable or just not for them. The only way to find out if it's for you is to give it a go.

    As some others have pointed out there are a few different types of IF. One way is to eat all your calories for the day in a shorter window (for example 8 hours is common but it can be anything from 1 meal a day to 10 hours - i.e. for 8 hours you'd eat all your calories for the day between 12-8pm or 9am-5pm etc.). Search for IF lean gains style for this sort of fasting.

    Another approach is 5:2 where you have five maintenance days and two "fasting" days where your calories are restricted to around 5oocals.

    Do a little research and experimenting to find out what works for you.
  • ActivatedAlm0nds
    ActivatedAlm0nds Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    It works for me in the sense that eating on the weekends is a lot more fun and it feels less fussy than a constant deficit. I still have to calculate my calories the same way anyone else would, but it fits my life.

    I do 5:2, though, a lot of people have had success with 16:8 if you're looking to try something a little less extreme. It's just eating in an 8 hour window and fasting the other 16 hours, works better with some people's hunger.

    I can't link over the phone, but there are plenty of IF groups here.
  • Equina
    Equina Posts: 59 Member
    edited February 2017
    Options
    It works wonderfully well for me. Once I start eating I tend to not stop. So I save my calories and eat from about 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day. I have lost a lot of weight and am finding this to be an easy maintenance plan.
    I think it depends on the person however. I have never been into breakfast. Lunch is easy for me to skip, it was always the nightime over eating that got me over budget on my calorie logging. Well now I enter my "will power weak time zone" with a large budget of calories saved up. I do not feel deprived or guilty for eating a large meal because I can afford the calories.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    Here are links to a couple of groups here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    What others said - it works for you if it helps you stay consistent with your goals. I tried 5:2 and the 500 calorie days were a no go for me. But I do zig-zag my calories differently.....I eat maintenance on the weekends. It's just about getting to a consistent place.
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    Options
    It works well for me because it allows me easier calorie adherence and because I don't like eating early in the day. I practice 16:8 IF which means that I only eat within an 8 hour period each day. If doesn't have any magical properties.
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    Options
    I'm unsure if it's solely IF, or if it's because I've been losing weight but since beginning IF my PMS issues have greatly decreased and I bloat less. I'm not sure of those who do IF and eat just 500 calories but the book I skimmed that talked about IF just said that you eat your food within an 8 hour window and give your body the rest of the time to digest the food. Within the 8 hour window I eat about 1600-1900 calories. I could never do IF if it meant just consuming 500 calories.
  • BeardSense2017
    BeardSense2017 Posts: 41 Member
    Options
    Intermittent fasting is highly effective...i.e. Warrior Diet....keeps the furnace burning
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    Options
    There is no solid evidence showing that intermittent fasting helps you lose weight faster from what I can tell. Unless you are an elite athlete food timing makes very little difference.
    Saying that, if it helps people stick to their diets and have better calorie control then it is a very effective weight loss method.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Options
    I giggle when I read that eating all your food for the day within 6 or 8 hours is called anything more than a normal eating schedule, but my eyes almost roll out of my skull when I read about all the longevity and fat loss properties intermittent fasting is supposed to have.

    Not eating all the time is just a practical and easy way for me to avoid eating too much - there are times to eat, but most of the time it's not time to eat. Waiting and working up an appetite for a good meal means that I'm hungry for real food, and when I base my eating on good meals and real food, I'm not prone to overeat. But I still have to not overeat, for this to "work".
  • madsandy11
    madsandy11 Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    I can only see this working if you have a fairly substantial body fat percentage. I do not recommend this, especially if you are looking to gain/maintain muscle. Usually anything over a 500 calorie deficet is frowned upon due to the body going into "starvation" mode, even if you do have 500 calories during the fasting days. This will actually cause increased fat abosrption and lower energy levels.I recommend calculating your bmr (basic metabolic rate) (many online calculators to do this) calculating your activity level, and then plan your deficet from there (200-300 should start you off nicely) thisbway, you're still losing weight and you don't feel absolutely terrible while you're doing it.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Options
    Weight (fat) loss is about CICO. Get that right and the weight will move in the right direction.

    IF is a tool which, for some, helps them to be compliant to their dietary targets. If it works for you, go for it but it's not some sort of magic - it will only work if you get the CICO right.

    Note: I've used various fasting protocols for years now. I find that I'm naturally not that hungry first thing in the morning and enjoy delaying my eating until later, I also find it useful in fitting in events such as birthdays into my eating plan.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Options
    It works if it helps you achieve a calorie deficit, it does not work if you overeat on feast days/eating hours (depending on what version of intermittent fasting you're asking about).

    It also works if it makes dieting easier for you, it doesn't work if you feel it's harder than regular dieting because you aren't as likely to continue doing it.

    Basically, just like any other dieting approach in the world it can work if you a. don't overeat b. stick to it.

    Personally, I utilize it from time to time and find it easy and sustainable. I use the alternate day fasting kind. I stop using it when my appetite is not big enough to consume enough calories on feast days, and go back to it when I have a big appetite or a week with lots of food events.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    Options
    I've done IF in one form or another going on 5 years now. I do it because it helps me with my calorie adherence and it works nicely with my schedule/eating preferences (I like having fewer meals that are bigger). But, IF isn't necessary for weight loss, it's just a tool :)
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited February 2017
    Options
    stdfstspirit wrote: »
    Works for me, and my wife and daughter. In the last 1 1/2 years we've spent a fortune on new clothes and I think the Children's Wish folks had us on speed dial to come every 4 - 6 weeks for more clothes we dropped out of. BUT ---- if people are trying to do a 500 calorie/day diet they haven't done their research! The My Fitness Pal app, for example, will not even log your day if you are below your recommended safe caloric intake. I need to stay ABOVE 1200, but within reason, and they are advised to get 1000. It is the daily window of intake and the length of time you make your body use stored fats to run, that accomplishes your goals. My personal balance is 18 - 6 which works well for me, but it is too long for my wife and she needs to have a small portion earlier in the day because of a mild diabetic factor that she keeps an eye on so she doesn't get sugar imbalances. You cannot deprive your body to the point where it goes into protection mode because of perceived starvation. But, after about 10 hours you have used up all the sugars from your last input so your body will just grab stored fat and convert that to the sugars it needs to run. It takes time, [which is healthier than radical regimes!], and in our case, walking, but the results are there if you are persistent and consistent. WL

    The pp was most likely referring to 5:2IF, where you have two 500 calorie days a week, and then 5 days that are closer to maintenance range calorie intake. It's a legitimate form of IF and there's many people who do it.

Categories